almond

The almond is one of a group of fruit-bearing trees (Prunus) that also includes plums, cherries, peaches, and apricots. There are fifteen species of wild almond in Iran, two wild species in Israel, and one cultivated one (Prunus dulcis, also called Amygdalus communis). They are plentiful now in the hills of Israel, and probably were so in Bible times, even in the hot, dry Negev.

The almond tree grows to around 4 meters (13 feet) tall. It loses its leaves in winter and then, before the new leaves appear in spring, a profusion of white or pink flowers appears. The flowers are quite flat, with oval petals. The fuzzy fruit, about the size of a date palm fruit, comes about ten weeks later. The seed (“nut” in English) is fifty percent oil, and can be eaten raw but is usually roasted.

Three passages make reference to physical features of the almond tree. In Exodus 25:33f. and 37:19f. 20 we find the Hebrew word meshuqad (“almond-like”) referring to the shape of the almond blossom. The flat almond flower made a reasonable model for the lamp holders at the top of the branches of the lampstand in the Tabernacle.

The writer of Ecclesiastes 12:5 uses the profusion of white blossoms on the almond tree as a symbol of old age. The comparison is of course to the white hair of the elders.

In Jeremiah 1:11 the author makes use of the similarity of the Hebrew name shaqed (“almond”) to the word shoqed (“watching” or “wakeful”) to emphasize that Yahweh is “watching” over Israel (see almond tree / watching). Some commentators add to this that since the almond is the first of the trees to blossom in the spring—even before the leaves emerge — it was “waking up early,” and God, likewise, is an “early help” in time of trouble.

The Prunus family has members in various parts of the world, such as Prunus salicina in China and Prunus munsoniana in eastern North America. However, the branches and fruit of many of these are so different from the true almond that in non-figurative passages local names will not really be usable. In a passage such as Genesis 30:37, a transliteration from a major language is recommended; for example, shaked/lus (Hebrew), lawus (Arabic), amande (French), amendoa (Portuguese), almendra (Spanish), and alimondi. In English the “l” is not pronounced, so “almond” may be transliterated amond. Elsewhere, where the tree is used figuratively, as in Exodus and Ecclesiastes (see below), translators can use a blossom with a similar shape and color.

Almond tree, photo by Gloria Suess
Almond flowers, photo by Ray Pritz

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

See also almond tree / watching.

complete verse (Exodus 37:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 37:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “The stem was also decorated with four things like blossoming flowers.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The bowls like almond flower and flowers with bud and blossom were in the lampstand.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The body of the place-to-put the light has four decorative flowers shaped like almond, wherein some/others are still buds and others are- already -blossoming.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And he decorated the lams stand’s trunk also like that so that it looked similar to four almond tree blossoms together with their small leaves.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “On mother of tree of lampstand, they make flower of gardenia four, with its fruit with its leaf.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “On the shaft of the lampstand there were four gold decorations that also looked like almond blossoms, each one with flower buds and flower petals.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 37:20 - 37:21

Verses 20-21 are identical with 25.34-35, except that the word lampstand is repeated at the end of 25.35. In verse 21, however, the Hebrew simply has going out of it. In verse 20 the verb were has been added in translation, since there is no verb at all in the Hebrew.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .